This essay discusses the state of copyright and ownership, looking into the historical emergence of copy right, digitization, computing technology and the commodification of knowledge. This string of thought is intertwined with works by artists who deal with copyright, ownership of knowledge, the commons or plagiarism, such as Alexej Shulgin, John Heartfield, Laibach/Novi kolektivizem, UBERMORGEN, Paolo Cirio, Alessandro Ludovico, Nate Harrison, Ines Schaber, Daniel García Andújar, Kobe Matthys and Claire Chanel.